Slippery slopes ahead.
Guests at a Utah ski resort were outraged after their ritzy trips were marred by three-hour waits at ski lifts caused by the ongoing workers’ strike.
The strikes occurred at Park City — the largest ski resort in the US — as the Park City Professional Ski Patrol Association (PCPSPA) demanded that the ski mountain’s owner, Vail Resorts, pay employees a living wage, Powder.com reported.
Now in their third week, the strikes have reached a fever pitch.
While Vail reps assured skiers that the resort was “open and operating safely despite the patrol union strike,” visitors reportedly noticed monumental delays when trying to hit the slopes.
Minnesota’s Peter Nystrom reportedly spent $20,000 to visit Park City with his family, only to have to wait 2-3 hours for a lift.
“Longest lines ever. No excuse. Operational and managerial fail during the busiest week of the year,” he fumed. “At least discount those who bought lift tickets while strike was occurring!”
An accompanying photo showed a Disneyland-esque line of frustrated skiers waiting to be transported up the mountain.
In a follow-up post, Nystrom claimed that he planned to “make formal complaints/demands for reimbursement” from Vail Resorts and also file a suit against them.
Another video, shared by pro-free skier Dave Amirault, shows dozens of skiers chanting “pay your employees” while waiting for the King Con lift at the resort.
“We chose to ski over Christmas and had other options, but we won’t do this again,” vacationer Amy Clinkenbeard told Town Lift Park City News while decrying her wasted vacation, which cost her family a cool $10,000.
“The amount of money spent to not ski is abysmal,” she added. “This is going to hurt the entire community.”
The ski patrollers — who execute various tasks from opening trails to avalanche prevention — had reportedly proposed a $2 increase in their hourly base wage, from $21 to $23, the New York Times reported. They floated the idea in September in the hopes that they could reach an agreement come the winter ski season, but Vail neglected to acquiesce, prompting them to strike over the holidays.
However, the Vail brass believes they are paying said employees more than a fair share.
“We are proud of the significant investments we have made into all of our employees, including patrol, which have far outpaced inflation,” Bill Rock, president of Vail Resorts Mountain Division, declared in a statement on Friday. “Still, we remain committed to reaching an agreement that demonstrates the great respect we have for our patrollers.”
The PCPSPA even set up a GoFundMe to help raise donations for their strike fund. It has raised over $250,000 as of January 6.
